Recent advancements in mobile communication technology have enabled not only real-time, remote communication, but also an ability to accomplish such communication without utilizing a stationary telephonic device. Specifically, cellular technology, Bluetooth technology, and the like, have enabled individuals to travel and conduct remote, real-time communicate simultaneously. In addition to voice communication, remote digital information exchange in general has also been accomplished by way of such devices. As a result, the recent generation has aptly been characterized as an age of “information on the move”.
As mobile communication devices, e.g., cell phones, smartphones, multi-mode phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), etc., become more portable and more personal, such devices have become central to the new mobile communication age. For instance, mobile devices can be utilized to browse the Internet, shop online, and download songs, video, and the like. In addition, consumers can access electronic mail, instant messaging (IM), personal planning applications, such as calendars and task lists, entertainment applications, and so on; essentially, the mobile communication device has come to replace stationary personal computers in many aspects. As mobile device popularity increases, service providers also adapt to make their products and services accessible by way of such devices. However, the rate at which mobile computing and communication technology progresses is typically faster than the rate at which service providers can incorporate new applications for mobile technology; consequently, data services may not be fully leveraged at a given point in time for such devices.
In recent years, the world has also begun to transition to a cashless society. For instance, payroll checks no longer need to be physically printed, cut, and distributed to employees. Rather, electronic transfer to a bank account provides a more convenient mechanism to distribute, receive and deposit payroll funds. Similarly, other trends have greatly affected traditional banking in other respects. For example, in the not so recent past customers would personally visit a bank branch to receive personal service from a teller; today, such visits happen less frequently. Automated teller machines (ATMs) were responsible for the first transition away from personal teller service. Today, as the Internet continues to grow in popularity, online banking has become an additional mechanism to accomplish financial transactions without visiting a bank branch. Accordingly, ‘personal banking’ has become an additional aspect of modern society greatly impacted by the new digital information age.